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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · tube · drill · cabinet · track · racket · race · saw

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. track — to keep track
  3. date — the fruit
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. race — humankind
  6. track — a song
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. saw — the tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. race — a contest
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. drill — army training
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. drill — a practice
  18. saw — the tool
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. track — a path
  21. race — the arms race
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tube — a container
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com